Oregonians Are NOT Happy With The Idea Of Self-Service Gas Stations

This is so weird to me

There’s a new law in Oregon, which makes it legal for Oregonians to pump their own gas. I never even realized there were a couple of places that people DIDN’T pump their own gas until I drove through New Jersey and stopped for gas on my way to New Hampshire a few years back. I was so confused.

Well, looks like Oregon is leaving New Jersey behind.

The law, which will take effect Jan. 1, has created a minor firestorm in rural parts of Oregon, where full-service gas stations have been the norm since 1951. A local CBS affiliate in Medford, Ore., asked its viewers on Facebook about the new law – the responses have ranged from anger to confusion.

“I don’t even know HOW to pump gas and I am 62, native Oregonian…..I say NO THANKS! I don’t want to smell like gasoline!” one woman wrote in a comment on a survey the new station posted Dec. 29. The poll elicited more than a thousand responses.

Really guys? I always pump my own gas, and no. It does NOT make you smell like gasoline. What a bunch of drama queens.

Another shared her opinion, with several commenters suggesting full-service gas stations are safer than those permitting residents to feel the exhilaration of filling their own tanks.

“It is safer for people, if a station attendant does the service. The only advantage of pumping the gas yourself, would be paying a few cents less a gallon. Getting older, and being disabled, I’d rather have the help!” another person wrote, noting there are times when attendants are welcomed.

I guess this is just weird to me, because I’ve always pumped my own gas. I suppose it’s weird if you’ve gone though your entire life never pumping gas. But seriously guys– it’s not a big deal. Chill out.

Oregon reformed the law in 2015. The change allowed motorists to pump their own fuel at night, but the state is still one of two in the country that ban self-service. Motorists in New Jersey, for instance, face stiff penalties for touching pumps – fines range between $50 and $250 for the first offense and up to $500 for subsequent offenses.

So yeah. This is A Thing people in Oregon are freaking out about. I can’t relate, but it is what it is.

h/t Daily Caller